1. Find your Focus

Job hunting is difficult and time-consuming if you're applying to multiple sectors.

Find out information about different opportunities in different sectors:

• Inside Careers: Chartered Patent Attorneys, Chartered Accountancy, The Actuarial Profession, The Insurance Profession, The Pension Profession
• Career Sectors - Target Jobs
• Careers in Finance - Efinancial Careers
• Accountancy, Finance and Banking - Target Jobs
• Human Resources - CIPD
• Marketing, Advertising, PR - Prospects
• Economics - Prospects
• Engineering Management - World Wide Learn

 

2. Do your research

Knowledge from doing research can help you create a targeted strategy.

Before you start applying for jobs, think about the following?

• What are the routes into your sector?
• Which route is the most appropriate for your skills and experience? Should you target large multinationals or smaller organisations?
• Do your target companies advertise positions directly or use Recruitment Consultants?
• What are the in-demand skills, and do you have them?
• What are the issues/trends affecting your sector? How does this impact hiring? 

 

3. Get organised

You will need to apply for several jobs to increase your chance of success. Competitive sectors receive 1000s of applications. However, this does not mean sending out the same CV and cover letter to every company. Recruiters will spot this and reject you.

Get organised and focus your applications:

• Create a list of target companies.
• Prioritise your applications.
  • • • Are the roles realistic?
      • Do your skills match?
• Tailor your applications for each role.
  • • • Match your skills to the job description and person specification.
      • Talk about your motivation for applying.
      • State why that particular company and that role.
• Keep a record of your applications.
  • • Track your progress.
    • Keep a copy of the job description and person specification.
    • Keep a copy of your application.

 

4. Make contacts

Knowing people in the companies you want to work for can make a difference. Contacts may provide you with inside information that isn't available on the company's website.

Talking to people working at your target companies will also help you understand if they are a realistic target for you. Meaning you can focus on the right opportunities.

An easy place to start is with alumni from this University. LinkedIn is a good tool for finding and connecting with alumni.

• Get started with LinkedIn

There are different types of opportunities in the UK.

• Graduate Schemes
• Graduate Level jobs
• Experience hire

 

Graduate schemes

Large companies typically hire graduates through graduate trainee schemes of 2-3 years' duration. They only represent a small part of the graduate labour market. There is a lot of competition. You will need a well-rounded CV including excellent academic results, work experience and varied extra-curricular activities.

Applications start during Autumn Term when you begin your course as companies recruit a year ahead of the start date. 

 

Graduate-level jobs

We encourage you to apply for jobs in SMEs (small and medium enterprises).

Opportunities get advertised according to business needs. You should apply during Summer Term. 

Some companies won't use the word "graduate" in the job title so try different search terms. For example, "Marketing Assistant" finds more results than "Marketing Graduate."

SMEs might also attract graduate talent through graduate internships.  

 

Experienced hire

Experienced-hire jobs are advertised on job boards and are suitable if you already have professional work experience.

 

International Students

If you are a non-EU International student, it is hard to get a job in the UK. Only a small number of students get jobs in the UK after graduation. We strongly recommend that you include other markets in your job search. 

 

Job vacancy boards

You can set up alerts from these websites. Most will allow you to set choices and preferences:

• Prospects
• Milkround
• Graduate-Jobs
• GRB
• Inside Careers
• LinkedIn Student Jobs
• E Financial Careers
• Indeed
• Targetjobs

 

Sector-specific guides

• TARGETjobs Finance
• TARGETjobs Engineering
• TARGETjobs IT & Technology
• TARGETjobs Property
• The Guardian UK 300
• Chartered Accountancy careers
• The Actuarial Profession
• The Insurance Profession 
• Chartered Patent Attorneys

Multinational companies hire in a few different ways:

• Management training programmes. Also known as graduate schemes, hire graduates directly in countries in which they are based/have offices.
• Global leadership programmes. Hire students from around the world and where you could work in several locations.
• Country-specific programmes. Usually, the company requires you to have the authorisation to work in the office to which you are applying. Check the FAQ section of the company's graduate careers page. Usually, it will say if they are willing to sponsor international students or not.  

Some offer programmes where you start in your home country and then undertake an overseas assignment before returning to your home country. 

Multinational companies that run global graduate leadership/management programmes include:

• Tui Group
• Heineken
• Allianz Global Investors
• Novo Nordisk
• Volvo Group
• Siemens

You can also find information on:

• Target jobs - working abroad
• Careers International

Student Circus is a global career companion for international students offering a wide array of solutions:

Visit the Visa and Immigration service web page on the student intranet for information about working both during and after your studies.